5 Days of Prayers When You Feel Abandoned
During college, I made friends with a girl who often disclosed that she felt abandoned by loved ones. Her parents were often absent and truly didn’t understand her struggles. I resonated with my friend in many ways; however, she would also share that she felt God had abandoned her. She reasoned that if her parents and friends would abandon her, then God would as well.
With time, she has learned that God is always with her, even though loved ones might not be. We must learn this because God is always with us (Hebrews 13:5-6). There will never come a day when God will abandon us. He will always be faithful and ever present in our lives. Through this five-day prayer guide, we will be encouraged through guided prayers and realize that God meets us where we are.
Even if we are abandoned by our mom, dad, siblings, spouse, or friends, God is not going anywhere. Allow this truth to lift up your heart in prayer. Others have hurt us, but God never will. He will always surround us with His love, comfort, and grace.
Day One: A Prayer for Comfort
God comforts us when we trust in Him. When we feel abandoned, we can feel anxious. Psalm 94:19 says, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” Just as the psalmist was brought consolation from God, so will we. We don’t need to doubt the comfort and grace God can provide in our lives.
Abandonment issues can spring from many things, and each reason is valid. Maybe your dad left, or a longtime friend fell out of contact with you. All of these things can make us feel alone and isolated. Rather than feeding into the negative feelings, we need to give these feelings over to God. He will help us feel comfortable and at ease.
Our lives are not supposed to be filled with abandonment, yet they often are. If this is true for you, know that God isn’t going to abandon you. He is beside you right now and will forever be beside you. Turn your focus on Him, present your prayers to Him, and trust Him with the rest.
“Dear God, I come to You today, asking for comfort. I feel so abandoned and hurt by loved ones in my life. Sadly, I often think you have abandoned me, too. Help me to be surrounded by Your comfort and to know that You will never leave me. Amen.”
Day Two: A Prayer for Connection
Connecting with God and other believers is vital in helping us feel less abandoned. The writer of Hebrews tells us, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25). Rather than neglecting time with God and other believers, we need to continue praying to God and meeting with other believers.
The straight connection line to God is through prayer. We can go to Him at any time of day for any reason. Whether we are happy, sad, or in trouble, we can turn to Him. We also need to recognize the importance of connecting with other believers. Connecting with God and other believers will help us feel less alone and abandoned. Since we will be surrounded by other believers, we will feel at home.
“Dear Jesus, please help me to connect more with You and other believers. Encourage me to pray to You each day and start meeting up with believers more often. I know if I do these things, it will help me to feel more at home and at ease in my life. Please bring people into my life who will truly care about me and want to connect with me. In Your Name, I pray, Amen.”
Day Three: A Prayer to Know Your Worth
Being abandoned by others can take a negative toll on us. Instead of feeling confident in ourselves, we often doubt our worth. Since we were always treated negatively, we frequently think we deserve the pain and the abandonment. If this is where you are finding yourself today, know that you never deserved the pain or the abandonment. You deserved to have people who truly cared about you and loved you. Don’t allow people in the past or in the present to make you question your worth.
The Bible tells us we are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:9-10). Being complete in Christ means we lack nothing. In the same way, we are also told that we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Furthermore, we are told that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-16). Reflect on these biblical truths rather than focusing on what others have said to you or how they have made you feel about yourself.
Even if your mind tries to tell you you are worthless, talk back to yourself through these Scripture passages. Sadly, sometimes our biggest enemy is ourselves. We must learn to be kind to ourselves and know that our worth is found in Christ alone. Our worth is not found in those who have abandoned us.
“Dear Jesus, please help me know my worth is in You. Due to being abandoned, I often feel I am worthless. Strengthen my heart and help me know I am worthy because I belong to You. I give all of my pain over to You today. Amen.”
Day Four: A Prayer to Feel Loved
Abandonment causes us to feel unloved. If mom, dad, or our spouse left us, we feel we are not worthy of love. This can also cause us to pick up a few destructive habits, such as anger, getting into unhealthy relationships, or self-medicating in other ways. Instead of giving in to any of these unhealthy coping mechanisms, we need to turn to God.
The Bible tells us that we are dearly loved by God (John 3:16-17). The ultimate form of God’s love is shown to us by sending His Son to die for our sins. If this is what God will do to bring us home to Him, we never need to doubt His love. Nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God found in Jesus (Romans 8:37-39).
“Dear God, I ask You to fill my heart with love. I often struggle with feeling unloved, unneeded, and unwanted. Please help me feel loved by You and know Your love for me. Thank you for loving and showing me Your love by sending Your Son to die for me. I praise You, Amen.”
Day Five: A Prayer for Lasting Peace
For the final day of this prayer guide, we will be praying for lasting peace. After we have been abandoned or are presently struggling with feelings of abandonment, we usually do not have any peace. Instead of feeling peaceful, we feel overwhelmed, stressed, and depressed. We don’t need to feed into these feelings because the Lord has already given peace.
Jesus tells us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). As the Lord has told us here, He has given us lasting peace. The peace He gives us is not the same peace that the world gives. Instead, the peace He gives us endures forever. We don’t need to allow our hearts to be troubled or afraid.
As believers, we must hold onto this peace and find comfort in His love for us. Jesus knows this world is full of terrible things, including being abandoned by loved ones, yet He is our Good Shepherd every step of the way (Psalm 23). He can give us lasting peace if we pray to Him and ask Him to surround us with His peace.
What is holding you back from turning to him today? Is it doubt, fear, or something else? Jesus can be fully trusted, as He will give us lasting peace and help us feel at ease in our present life situation. Loved ones have abandoned us in the past, but Jesus can help bring people into our lives who won’t leave us. He will also bring us peace through His love and His wonders. Never doubt the way He will answer your prayers.
“Dear Jesus, please bless me with lasting peace. Because I have been abandoned, I feel restless and anything but peaceful. Please bring my heart lasting peace and help me find people who won’t leave. I don’t doubt you or your goodness. In Your Name, I pray, Amen.”
Photo Credit: ©Abby Dinosaur/Unsplash
Originally published April 25, 2025.
